Molded stop mechanism for sliding clasp fasteners



June 3, 1952 E, 5, DAY 2,599,165

MOLDED STOP MECHANISM FOR SLIDING CLASP FASTENERS Filed March 13, 1945 Patented June 3, 19.52 I

UNITED STA;

"MOLDED STOPMECHANISM TORSIJIDING "GBASP FASTENEES EverettDam- -A ndover, Mass, amignoretm-The: .Bol'ta wflompany, ,Lawrenoe; Mass;, aaenmorationiot Massaohusetts filhiszinverrtimr relates; tolimprovements 1 in atop stops'zforrsiidingrclasp fastener-s)havingap pairvoi stringerszprovidedrfwith i complementary series of V interlocking. ielements a'dapted- Zto bermoved -'into and out of interlocking engagement by a slider. One of the'objects of the-invention'is 'to provide a top stop=construction "having complementary stop members which "when 'assembled -will hold the" interlocking- :elements "of the respective stringersimsuitably spaced'relation to "facilitate thermovemen't of the slider-with preferably detacha'ble means-for securing thetop stop members in engagement. A further object of the invention is to' providea construction in '=whi-el1i,the interloeking members of i-both stringers :and the 'complementary. stop memberscan be simultaneously'moldedupon-the respective stringersthereby eliminatingia'll"prob lemsof location and providing :a relatively inexpensive/construction. v

lAfurtherobject of the invention is'to provide a top -stopmechanism of thermoplastic material which will be *corrosion proof.

Another object ofltheinvention is to provide asliding clasp-fastener in which th'e interlockingelemerrts and 'the top stop members :are. of the same corrosion-proof thermoplastic materi-al adapted :simfiltaneously to he molded 1 upon the stringers and in'which' the materi-albeing molded 'under relatively high pressure willimpregnate inventionwill more fully:appear:'fromrthezfollowwing description andzathezaccompanying'zrdrawings and "will be particularly'pointed :out initheplaims: Arpreferredwnibodiment of :thezinventiomis 7 illustratedinrtheiaccompanymgxirawingszinswhich; i aliillustratesrend'zportionscof; stringers-having 1 complementary interlockin :elements and converging :stopzmembers. releasably held, in {en-- gagement witheeachrotherfbyaailockingmember;

momma moi. ziwzesim the z topiastopnassembly being shown *ininverted" position;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the edge portionvoi the stringer having one'of the-symmetricalsstopmembers secured-thereto Fig; 3 is a side elevation of the =construotionshown in Fig.1-viewedffrombeneath;

"Fi'g.- 44s an end elevation of Fig; 21viewedirom theleittowardthe right,';the beadededgeaportion v of' the sti'inger being shown:in'section;

:iFi-g. 5 Ifis :an end view of :the locking member;

and

Fig; =6 isapnn view I of :one: of the cooperating dies forsimultaneously-molding r-the interlocking ymembers arrdtheastop members upon-therespeoti-ve. stringers; and also for molding the lockingmember.

The sliding' elasp ifastener-construction :shown in= Fig .-l comprises stringers 'I an'diZ, "preferably 2o. of"fabricfhavingrespectively beaded-edgesrfliandf kan'd-provificd respectively with interlocking elementsfi and 6*of thermoplastic material having legrport-ions =1 'and tl molded upon and embracing therespeetive' beaded edge portions of the 25,; stringers -I -and'-2=and=' impregnating the material of the stringers. -Complementary stop members 9" and m of thermoplastic material are *molded upon and embracethee'dge portions of -the respectivestringers l and 2 and extendmainlyin 'longiso tudinal parallelismtherewith, as shown in-l igcz.

Thenpper '-end-portions-= H of each 'of the complementary stop'members-are symmetricallyconvergingly inclined toward 1 the respective edges of the stringewasiillustrateddn' 2, so that when the. edges oflthe-respective'stringers arein-abuttingpositionras illustrated in Fig. 1, theen'd portions of the stringers embraced" by tlie stop members converge; las'illustrated in Fig. 1, while theportions of the "stringers *having the respective 40 -.series..of interlocking elements are in properly spaced opengposition.

iSuitable ,preferably detachable locking means is; provided for. retaining theinclined upper end portions of the stop members in'abuttingposition. I

.tInthe, particular construction above described the-.- upper. and lowerjfaces of the respective istop members are provided with parallel-recesses l2 extending-inwardly;.anditerminating at thezbases r Broil.therinclined.end portions and like chan- Debi li and L5: .extendoinwardly from the'lower endpportions of theorespeotive stop members to thezbases l3iofithe end portions .in parallelism V with the inchnedrendledge \;por.tions l l l thereby -.55" pr.oviding a -web l6 Eforming a: .T-s'haped ltenon 2| adapted to engage the respective upper and lower channels 14 and i5 in the respective stop members. When the stop members are brought into abutting position illustrated in Fig. 1 and the locking member 18 slid longitudinally upon the respective webs I6 of the stringers the engagement of the flanges 21 of the locking member with the channels 14 in the stop members Will hold the locking members firmly inassembled position. I p

Preferably suitable means are provided to prevent the locking member from becoming easily disengaged from the stop members. A convenient means illustrated herein comprises projections 22 which project outwardly from the lower end of the surfaces of, the web H5, either upon one or both of said surfaces. Such projections will prevent the locking member from being easily slid from looking position but when sufficient force is applied to the locking member will enable it to be disengaged from the stop members. Such projections also will serve to engage'the walls of the passages of the slider and hold the slider in engagement with the top stop so that it will not be accidentally displaced.

As before stated one of the objects of the invention is to provide a sliding clasp fastener construction in which the interlocking elements and the top stops, and preferably also the locking member, can be simultaneously cast, preferably by injection molding, upon the edges of both stringers, suitable thermoplastic material being employed which is capable of impregnating the fabric of the stringers and fixedly uniting the same thereto. Suitable molds for thus molding the interlocking elements and the top stop members upon the stringers are illustrated in Figs. 6, l

'1, and 8 of the drawings. As shown in Fig. 6 the mold comprises complementary rectangular blocks of suitable material, such as steel, each of which is provided with parallel longitudinal shallow recesses 23 and 24 to receive the respective stringers and grooves 25 and 26 to receive the beaded edges of the respective stringers and having a series of suitably spaced parallel cavities 21 and 23 for the respective interlocking elements extending over the grooves 25 and 26 to provide for the legs of the interlocking elements and the heads of the interlocking elements extending toward each other beyond said grooves. Each of the mold section is also provided with suitable complementary mold cavities 29 and 30 for the respective stop members which likewise extend over the grooves 25 and 26 so that the stop members will embrace the edges of the respective n ers. l n the construction illustrated in Fig. 6 the dies also are provided with complementary cavities 3| for forming the H-shaped locking member. The lower die, and if desirable the upper die also, is provided with a longitudinal runner 32 having gates 33 extending therefrom to the cavities 21 and 28 respectively of'the interlocking elements 4 and gates 34 communicating with the cavities of the respective stop members and also with gates 35 leading to the cavity 3| of the stop member. The thermoplastic material when suitably heated to fluid consistency may be introduced into the mold through a suitable sprue 35 preferably in the upper mold member.

It will be obvious that by reason of the present invention complementary interlocking elements and also stop members can be simultaneously and economicaly cast or applied by injection molding upon the respective stringers and the locking member also molded at the same time.

When the stringers are removed from the mold the material of the runner and the gates can be readily broken away, ground, melted and again utilized for the same purposes. Any roughness upon the edges of the interlocking members and the stop members can be readily ground away and the surface polished in a usual manner, whereupon the stringers with the stop members can be attached to separate edge portions of a garment, the stop members fastened together by the locking mechanism with a minimum of expense and effort.

It will be understood that the particular embodiment of the invention shown and described herein is of an illustrative character and is not restrictive and that various modifications in construction and arrangement of parts may be made within the spirit and scope of the following claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is:

1. A top stop for sliding clasp fasteners for holding the stringers in properly spaced relation to facilitate the movement of the slider upon the complementary series of interlocking elementsthereof comprising a top stop assembly having. complementary stop members of thermoplastic material longitudinally embracing and fixedly secured to the marginal edges of the upper endportions of the respective stringers and having at the inner edges of their upper end portions abutting flat faces lying in a longitudinal plane centrally between said stringers and in parallelism with the path of the slider, front and rear channels in said members extending in parallelism with the plane of said fiat faces providing T-shaped tenons therebetween, and a locking member having longitudinal channels slidably engaging said T-shaped tenons of both stop members releasably securing said stop members to each other and adapted to arrest the sliderwhen moved into engagement therewith.

2. A top stop for sliding clasp fasteners for holding the stringers in properly spaced relation to facilitate the movement of the slider upon the complementary series of interlocking elements thereof comprising a top stop assembly having. complementary stop members of thermoplastic material longitudinally embracing and impregnating the marginal edges of the upper end portion of the respective stringers and having at the inner edges of their upper end portions abutting flat faces lying in a plane centrally between said stringers and in parallelism with the path of the slider, front and rear channels in said members extending in parallelism with the plane of said fiat faces providing T-shaped tenons therebetween, and locking member having substantially an H-shaped cross section and longitudinal channels slidably engaging said T-shaped tenons of both stop members releasably securing said stop members to each other and adapted to arrest the slider when moved into engagement therewith.

3. A top stop for sliding clasp fasteners as defined in claim 1, in which the web of the T-shaped tenon is provided with projections to prevent the locking member from being readily slid from looking position and to hold the slider in engagement with the top stop so that it will not be accidentally displaced.

4. A stop assembly for slide fasteners of the class described, comprising a pair of complementary stop members with one secured to the marginal edges of each of the respective stringers and having abutting edges lying centrally between said stringers in parallelism With the path of the slider, said stop members constructed and arranged so as to diverge inwardly whereby the stringers are held a spaced distance apart on the side of the stop toward the slider, a locking member for engagement with said complementary stop members for holding the stringers securely together at one end of the fastener, said locking member having interlocking means carried thereby which engages with corresponding interlocking means carried by the respective complementary stop members.

EVERETT E. DAY.

6 REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

